Progressive lenses (also known as “no line bifocals” are incredibly popular in society today. Many cannot wait to get their first pair while others are hesitant about this option.
In either case, gaining some insight about what these lenses are and starting to use them early is not a bad thing. There are many benefits to getting your first pair of progressive lenses sooner rather than later.
What Are Progressive Lenses?
A progressive lens is a glasses lens design that offers clarity at both distance and near objects, depending on where you look within the lens.
They are often prescribed for patients with presbyopia, referring to one’s increasing difficulty in seeing objects up close. This change is age-related, starting in the late thirties and ending with a complete inability to focus at near by the early sixties.
Progressives are the more aesthetically pleasing alternative to traditional bifocal lenses that have a visible line dividing the different zones of view.
In progressive lenses, the zones are blended and placed in the same spot that a bifocal reading portion would be located such that no visible line is seen.
There are many different versions or progressive lenses, designed for different purposes such as office tasks or driving. Our opticians will assist in finding the right design for you.
The Benefits of Starting with Progressives Early
As presbyopia advances with age, the magnitude of the reading add power will need to increase. Starting early means that you will be learning to use a progressive lens when the reading power is low and the distortion when looking in a different area of the lens will not be as significant.
Starting early also means that you may still have some residual flexibility in the ocular system responsible for allowing you to see up close, which can be very helpful.
Overall, this will decrease the amount of time needed to familiarize yourself with the lens and ease your transition when you move into glasses with higher prescriptions in subsequent years.
There is no danger in jumping into progressive lenses later in life. The transition may be easy for some individuals while others will need longer adjustment periods to get used to using this type of lens.
Make sure to give it a couple of weeks as initial slight dizziness is normal, especially if you recently had an update to your glasses prescription.
Important Considerations of Using a No Line Bifocal
The key to a successful experience with progressive lenses is your head position. Look straight ahead for distance or computer viewing and down for reading.
This means that the eyes turn downward while the chin stays pointing straight ahead. Make sure not to turn the head down to view the text, simply turn the eyes only.
Also test out different distances for the reading material as this can make a big difference to clarity.
